The Minnesota Timberwolves will need a win over the San Antonio Spurs to keep their season alive on Friday night. But the Game 6 battle in the Western Conference semifinals could be decided by guard Ayo Dosunmu.
Dosunmu has been a brilliant pickup by the Timberwolves this season and had a strong run in the playoffs. But he’s also been plagued by a calf injury that has forced him to miss time and play at less than 100% during the series against the Spurs.
But Game 5 provided some hope that Dosunmu is rounding into form and if that is the case, he could be the Timberwolves’ X-factor that helps force a decisive Game 7.
Ayo Dosunmu’s Game 5 performance suggests he could be turning a corner
Dosunmu got off to a slow start against the Spurs after suffering a calf injury between Games 5 and 6 of the Wolves’ first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets.Â
After missing Game 1 of the Spurs series, Dosunmu returned in Game 2, but went 0-for-4 from the field in 10 minutes off the bench. Dosunmu was healthy enough to score 11 points with seven rebounds and five assists over 32 minutes in Game 2, but shot just 4-for-12 from the field (3-for-8 on 3-pointers) and committed four turnovers.
Dosunmu started in Game 4 and provided some late-game heroics by saving a pass from Jaden McDaniels from flying out of bounds. But he still didn’t shoot well, going 3-for-12 from the floor and 1-for-4 from 3-point range while committing a pair of turnovers.
But Game 5 provided some hope that Dosunmu is rounding a corner. He played 33 minutes in the loss to the Spurs and shot 7-for-14 from the field, although just 1-of-4 from 3-point range. While the Wolves lost 126-97, Dosunmu finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists and it could carry over into Friday’s elimination game.
If that’s the case, Dosunmu has shown he has the offensive firepower needed to help the Wolves’ secondary scoring issues. He scored 25 points and added nine assists in the Wolves’ Game 3 win over Denver in the first round and provided a massive encore in Game 4, putting up 43 points off the bench to give Minnesota a 3-1 advantage.
Getting that version of Dosunmu would also be perfect timing for the Timberwolves. Donte DiVincenzo has been out since Game 4 of the first round after tearing his Achilles tendon and Julius Randle has been a black hole on offense throughout the series with San Antonio.
Jaden McDaniels hasn’t been able to stay out of foul trouble and Naz Reid has 13.6 points per game off the bench, but someone needs to step up in the backcourt for the Wolves to survive.
With an extra day off between Games 5 and 6, Dosunmu will be fresh enough to be a factor on Friday night. If he looks like he did the other night, the Wolves will have a great chance of defeating the Spurs and be planning for a return trip to San Antonio.
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